176: The Upper Realm?

Above the Altar, Lin Dao confronted the Ten-Thousand-Foot-Tall Skeleton.

The Faint Blue Soul Fire in the skeleton's eye sockets flickered violently; it seemed to possess no further intelligence, only the instinct to guard the Altar and destroy intruders.

Its massive Bone Foot stepped forward again, and the ground rumbled.

The giant Leg Bone Blade in its hand, imbued with the Law of Death that could tear everything apart, cleaved down towards Lin Dao's Head!

Before the blade even arrived, the chilling Killing Intent nearly froze one's Soul.

Lin Dao's eyes narrowed; the skeleton's power was not to be underestimated.

He did not meet it Head-on; his figure flickered, leaving an Afterimage in place, while his true self had already appeared to the side of the skeleton.

"Let's test its hardness."

He murmured, his right fist enveloped in Chaos Qi, and he punched the skeleton's Ribs.

Thud!

It was like striking Divine Metal, producing a dull, heavy sound.

A clear Fist Print appeared on the thick rib, with cracks spreading, but it did not break.

The skeleton merely swayed, then swept its blade horizontally in retaliation; where the blade passed, space was sliced open, revealing dark cracks.

"Its defense is very strong."

Lin Dao judged in his mind, dodging again.

The strength of this skeleton's bones was probably close to the material of an Emperor Weapon, and it had been tempered by that ancient Law of Death for countless years, making it extremely tough.

He stopped probing, his figure like a phantom, moving rapidly around the giant skeleton.

Both fists, both palms, Fingertip Strikes, Elbow Strikes... every part of his body transformed into the most terrifying weapons, entwined with condensed Chaos Law, densely bombarding the skeleton's various Joints, Spine, Head, and other crucial points, like a blacksmith hammering metal.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—!

The continuous impact sounds echoed like heavy rain on banana leaves in this desolate ruin.

The skeleton wielded its giant blade, its Deathly Blade Energy crisscrossing, pulverizing large sections of the ruins, yet it could never touch Lin Dao in the slightest.

Its attack pattern was singular; although its power was formidable and its Law strange, it appeared clumsy and slow before an opponent like Lin Dao, who possessed rich combat experience and extremely flexible Movement Techniques.

Every one of Lin Dao's attacks landed precisely on the same spot.

Either the connection point of a Knee Joint, a section of the Spine, or the junction between the Head and Cervical Vertebrae.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Finally, after enduring Lin Dao's concentrated bombardment an unknown number of times, the Knee Joint of the skeleton's left leg emitted an unbearable cracking sound, and a clear fracture appeared at the massive bone connection!

The skeleton's colossal body staggered, nearly falling to its knees.

It let out a silent roar, its Soul Fire burning wildly, attempting to repair itself, but how could Lin Dao give it the chance?

He seized this momentary flaw, his figure soaring into the sky, appearing directly in front of the skeleton's Head.

He pressed his palms together, Chaos Qi highly compressed in his palms, forming a phantom of a gray battle-axe, condensed to the extreme!

"Break!"

He exerted force with both arms, and the Chaos Battle-Axe, carrying an Aura capable of splitting heaven and earth, fiercely cleaved towards the connection between the skeleton's Head and Cervical Vertebrae!

Hiss—!

This time, it was no longer a dull thud, but a piercing tearing sound!

The Chaos Battle-Axe was unstoppable, forcibly cutting through the incredibly tough bone and the entwined Law of Death!

The giant skeleton's Head, with its two startled, flickering Faint Blue Soul Fires, separated from its body and tumbled downwards!

The headless skeleton body stood frozen for an instant, then crashed to the ground like a collapsing mountain, raising a cloud of dust.

The bone blade in its hand also clanged to the ground, its light rapidly dimming.

The ancient will that enveloped the surroundings let out a silent roar filled with unwillingness and rage, then receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

Around the Altar, the eight lit Stone Pillars also quickly extinguished their light, returning to their dilapidated and ancient appearance.

The battle ended.

Lin Dao slowly descended from the air, standing beside the skeleton's massive remains, his Aura steady.

Defeating this Emperor-level Skeleton was a significant exertion for him, but far from his limit.

He was more concerned about the retreating ancient will, which seemed to be the true guardian here, though he didn't know why it hadn't fully manifested.

He no longer bothered with these matters, his gaze once again falling upon the Milky-White Light Egg at the top of the Altar.

He walked onto the Altar again, this time without any obstruction.

He stood before the Light Egg, observing it carefully.

Closer, he could better feel the immense vitality and extremely pure energy within the Light Egg.

However, the attribute of this energy, while seemingly of the same Origin as the Primal Origin he knew, had some subtle differences; it was older, more... noble?

As if it came from a higher-level place.

He reached out, and this time, his fingertip gently touched the surface of the Light Egg.

The touch was warm and smooth, like Warm Jade.

The milky-white light on the surface of the Light Egg flowed slightly faster, conveying a sense of closeness, dependence, and a hint of naive Consciousness Fluctuation, much like a newly born infant instinctively drawn to the first being it encounters.

At the same time, a faint but clear stream of information, flowing along his fingertip, surged into his mind.

The Information Stream was incomplete, mostly fragmented and chaotic images:

An ancient world whose vastness and splendor were beyond words, where the Laws flowing between heaven and earth were more complete, more Advanced... A great war that swept across countless Star Domains and affected unimaginably powerful existences, shattering star rivers and returning the Universe to Chaos... A Light Egg, at the last moment, was forcibly sent away by a certain power, penetrating layers of Universe Barriers, falling into endless darkness and void, finally landing on this ruined Altar, guarded by that ancient will and the skeleton guards until now... In addition, there was a vague, constantly repeating word imprinted deep within the Information Stream—

"Upper Realm."

Lin Dao withdrew his finger, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

"Upper Realm..."

He repeated the word softly.

From the fragmented images and information, this Light Egg was not from this Universe, but from a higher-level world called the "Upper Realm."

It had drifted here during a great war that affected the "Upper Realm."

As for what creature's egg it specifically was, why it was sent here, or the details of that great war, the Information Stream did not mention.

But it was certain that the value of this Light Egg was immeasurable.

The energy and life level it contained far surpassed the Great Emperors of this realm.

If it could hatch, he might glimpse a trace of the "Upper Realm's" mysteries.

Moreover, it seemed to have developed a fledgling-like dependence and recognition towards Lin Dao because he was the first being to touch it in countless years and possessed sufficient strength.

Lin Dao no longer hesitated, carefully wrapping the Light Egg with Chaos Qi, taking it from the Altar, and placing it into his Nascent Chaos World for nurturing.

That was his absolutely controlled Domain, the most suitable place to house this mysterious egg.

The instant the Light Egg was taken away—

Rumble!

The entire ruined space began to vibrate violently!

The Altar emitted creaking sounds, and the Ancient Runes on it rapidly dimmed and shattered.

The surrounding eight Stone Pillars also began to collapse.

The retreating ancient will reappeared, carrying a hint of relief and melancholy, sweeping over Lin Dao and the spot where he had collected the Light Egg, then completely dissipated, as if its final mission was complete.

The spatial vibration grew more intense, and distortions and cracks began to appear at the edges.

This place was about to collapse!

Lin Dao no longer lingered; his figure transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the Stone Gate in the direction he came from.

He moved extremely fast, crossing the ravine and passing through the scarred ground in a few flashes, rushing out of the Stone Gate, and returning to the chaotic environment of the Chaos Frontier.

The moment he stepped out of the Stone Gate, the Stone Gate behind him, along with that dark space, collapsed and annihilated in a violent spatial distortion, finally turning into a ChaoticTurbulence, leaving no trace behind.

It was as if everything there was just a brief dream.

Lin Dao hovered in the Chaos Qi currents, feeling the "Upper Realm" egg, quietly suspended within his inner Chaos World and emitting a soft glow, knowing that this trip to the Chaos Frontier had yielded far more than expected.

This was not just an egg with infinite potential, but also a clue to a higher-level world.

"Upper Realm..."

He gazed deeper into the Chaos Frontier, his eyes profound.

It seemed that this desolate land, considered the edge of the Universe, hid far more secrets than he had imagined.

He did not continue deeper; the purpose of this trip had been achieved, and the Lin family still needed him to preside.

He turned and walked towards the Primal Ancient Realm.

His figure quickly disappeared into the surging Chaos Qi currents.